Can You Optimize An Existing Site?

Absolutely. Although there are strong benefits
associated with creating a fully optimized website from scratch, the
simple fact is that not everyone has the time, resources or desire to
remake their site altogether. The good news is that there is
still plenty you can do to improve your code without substantially
changing the look or feel of your website.

Optimize Your Website Code

Most websites today are simply coded poorly. The
basic language of the Web, HTML, has undergone vast
improvements since the early days, and today you can achieve
dazzling design effects with minimal code. Why
should you care? Because code-heavy sites tend to load
slowly, and the search engines hate slow.

So a good website optimization package starts with
streamlining the code and simplifying your site's architecture.
Why use 150 lines of code when you can use 10? Why
embed enormous image files when they can be compressed for better
viewing? Why confuse the search engines with links that point
nowhere when you can upload a nice, clean sitemap instead?
Optimized website coding is a quick and easy way to bring
your site into the 21st century without changing its look or feel in
any substantial way.

Once the code is nice and clean, you must finish the job
by optimizing for your keywords of choice. Proper URL
structure, Meta title tags, ALT-image tags and some other small details
all play a role in the search engines' evaluation of your site.
These are subtle changes to be sure — not nearly as important
as links and content — but they are cheap and easy to fix, and there is
no question such details can make a big difference in aggregate.
The search engines look to these cues to tell them what your
site is about. With a little research into the best keywords
for your company, you can make your focus known.

Optimized Content

Of course there is an even better way to optimize an existing site:
add new content. Compelling SEO content is without question
the most reliable and effective way to bump up your search rankings
across the board. If your visitors are finding you through a
few common "keywords," create targeted content to take advantage of
that traffic. If you are hoping to rank higher for certain
search terms, build some highly optimized content to stake
your claim. If you are looking for more repeat visits and loyalty, an SEO blog is the surest way to grab mindshare, esteem and
daily traffic.

Ongoing SEO Optimization

So okay, now you have made your site more
search-engine friendly. But what happens if the ground
shifts once again? Google's algorithm is constantly changing and your competitors are always trying new things.
There is simply no such thing as "final" search rankings — top
companies that have enjoyed a Number One spot for years can easily
plunge 100 places overnight.

This is why SEO is considered a service and not a product: search is a moving
target. The best way to ensure your
site stays optimized no matter what is to retain the ongoing
services of an expert SEO company. Good optimizers will keep your
site clean and current on a daily basis, growing your footprint
with careful digital strategy while maintaining the integrity of your business.